[.ca] Sharpe: Sharpes Revenge

The final confrontation between Sharpe and Ducos...:
1814 - Toulouse falls, and with it, Napoleon is exiled to the island of Elba. The war, after nearly 20 years, is over. But Ducos, Napoleon's spymaster and sworn enemy of Richard Sharpe isn't done with him yet. After Sharpe fights a duel against his wife's wishes and Jane runs off to England in a huff, Ducos frames Sharpe for murder and the theft of the former Emperor's treasure. Now Sharpe must make his way across post-war France, aided by allies likely and unlikely, to clear his name and seek his revenge. Meanwhile, Jane is proving less than loyal to her husband... A typical Ducos plot (although not as intricate as the one in "Sharpe's Honour"), this has the elements we've grown to know and love. Sharpe gets framed, escapes from death and has to regain his honour. Harper and Frederickson are superb in their acting and banter, and even though they replaced the actor who originally played General Calvert in "Siege" and "Mission", Calvert gets some of the best lines and plays off Sharpe superbly. Ignore Jane's little peccadiloes in London - they are way too painful to watch, and besides, Sharpe finally meets the love of the rest of his life in the Frenchwoman Lucille Mailliot - the scenes of Sharpe recuperating on her Normandy farm are beautifully brought out by Sean Bean. We've never seen Sharpe this happy, and from that alone we know he's found his place after all the wars are over. I won't say much more because I recommend it heartily. A fine Sharpe adventure.

Not bad, but it was bizarre in places:
Pierre Ducos, like Count Dracula seems to be indestructable. He keeps comming back for more and Sharpe doesn't hesitate to dish it out. Based on real incidents, SHARPE'S REVENGE has a good plot, but towards the end it becomes a bit bizarre. Some of the acting is really too funny to be taken seriously. The character of Gaston, personal aide to General Calvert reminds me more of a clown, than a trusted servant. He has a few more lines than in other Sharpe films. At times his performance is more like slap stick. Curiously, riflemen Hagman and Harris are missing from this film. Of course the war is over and they have been discharged, but the characters should have been involved in the story, even if they were not in the book. Fredrickson gets to do a bit of slapstick type comedy of his own, but the character is still interesting. In the book, Sharpe and Fredrickson end their friendship over Lucille and it would have made for a more lively ending for the film. Harper actually has little to say in this one, which is a shame. Jane is more "bitchy" in this episode, but nothing like in JUSTICE. In either case, the character is allowed to have more emotion than just worshipping Sharpe. Still, these films are enjoyable and far better than other series.